Scottish Management of Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan 2014-18 (ScotMARAP2)

Action plan: Healthcare Improvement Scotland

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is a statutory body that works with Healthcare providers to drive improvement in the quality of healthcare, and empower patients and the public through a combination of evidence-based standards and guidelines, a scrutiny and assurance regime and quality improvement implementation support. The Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI), Scottish Health Council (SHC) and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) are all part of Healthcare Improvement Scotland which also leads on the Scottish Patient Safety Programme.

In the context of ScotMARAP 2, SMC through its Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) plays a lead role in delivering antimicrobial stewardship and Healthcare Improvement Scotland has a key role in delivering the actions detailed below.

Scottish Antimicrobial Prescribing Group (SAPG) as part of Scottish Medicines Consortium

The primary role for SAPG is to deliver the national stewardship programme through collaborative working with national stakeholders, NHS boards and the clinical community.

The key deliverables for SAPG as part of SMC are:

• Leadership of the national stewardship programme and clinical engagement through AMTs and clinical specialist groups. (Area 2)
• Development, implementation and delivery, on time and within budget, of an annual work programme aligned with the HAI Delivery Plan, Healthcare Quality Strategy and UK AMR Strategy. (Area 2)
• Meetings and network events to inform national strategy facilitate discussion and establish consensus on current issues. (Areas 2 & 3)
• Maintenance of communication of stewardship agenda to national stakeholders and NHS boards. (Area 2)
• Support SMC in providing expert advice in the assessment of new antimicrobials in clinical practice. (Area 2)
• Report on progress with AMR activities in NHS Scotland to national/UK groups as appropriate. (Areas 2, 3 and 5)
• Development of stewardship interventions including measurement to evaluate the intended and unintended consequences oftheir impact on outcomes. (Area 2& 5)
• Coordinating the antimicrobial prescribing aspects of national point prevalence studies. (Areas 2 & 5)
• Supporting the assessment of the potential benefits of rapid diagnostics and point of care tests in the delivery of antimicrobial stewardship across Scotland. (Area 2)
• Support and inform the development and implementation of the infection intelligence platform which aims to improve patient outcomes and reduce harm from infection through an innovative, integrated database, to support clinicians within the NHS in Scotland. (Area 5)
• Communication with National Procurement to facilitate cost-effective procurement and availability of antimicrobials. (Area 2)
• Work with SIGN and other groups to support development of evidence based and consensus guidance to address the needs of AMTs and clinicians. (Areas 2 & 3)
• Collaborative working with other national and local stakeholders on patient safety and quality improvement interventions to address priority areas across health and social care settings. (Area 2 & 3)
• Support, maintain and monitor progress with healthcare staff educational activity in relation to antimicrobial stewardship. (Area 3)
• Lead development and delivery of national activities for European Antibiotic Awareness Day. (Area 3)
• Improving public engagement with the antimicrobial stewardship agenda through working with Public Partners to communicate key messages. (Area 3)
• Support clinical research and improvement research into prudent antimicrobial prescribing by work with SIRN and other research groups. (Area 2)

Healthcare Environment Inspectorate (HEI)

The key role of the HEI is to deliver a programme of Healthcare Environment Inspections.

The key deliverables for HEI are:

• Provide public assurance that standards of antimicrobial stewardship across hospitals in Scotland are met and publicly report on our findings. (Area 2)
• Ensure that where standards of antimicrobial stewardship are not met NHS boards take the necessary steps to drive improvement. (Area 2)

Evidence and Standards

The key role of evidence and standards is to develop evidence-based advice, guidance and standards.

The key deliverable for evidence and standards is:

• Collaborative working with SAPG and other stakeholders to develop and maintain evidence-based advice, guidance and standards on infection and antimicrobial related issues. (Areas 2 & 3)

Scottish Health Council

The key role of the Scottish Health Council is to promote Patient Focus and Public Involvement in the NHS in Scotland to ensure the NHS works in partnership with patients, carers and the public, and to ensure effective support for person centredness, patient and public engagement in the work of Healthcare Improvement Scotland as a whole.

The key deliverable for SHC is:

• Collaborative working with SAPG andHealthcare Improvement ScotlandPublic Partners to support public engagement and promote public awareness through the work they do, about responsible use of antibiotics. (Area 3)

Implementation and improvement support

The key role of implementation and improvement support is to reliably spread and support implementation of best practice.

The key deliverables for implementation and improvement support are:

• Through the Scottish Patient Safety Programme collaborate with SAPG and other stakeholders on infection and antimicrobial related improvement initiatives. (Area 2 and 3)